Prince Harry has raised eyebrows after sharing a rare comment about his estranged brother, Prince William, during a royal engagement in the United Kingdom, telling a young fan “my brother supports Aston Villa”.
The Duke of Sussex, who is currently in the UK to attend a series of one-year countdown events for the 2027 Invictus Games in London and Birmingham, has yet to reunite with any of his family members, including his father, King Charles, and the Prince of Wales.
However, during the 41-year-old royal’s visit to Birmingham Children’s Hospital on Thursday, he shared a touching moment with one of the young patients and name-dropped his estranged brother, 44.
While talking to 12-year-old Alex Hill – who has a rare chromosomal condition and immune system disease – about football, Harry revealed that he “used to be an Arsenal supporter” before asking the teenager which team he was a fan of.
When Hill admitted that he was an Aston Villa supporter, the royal replied: “Aston Villa, my brother supports Aston Villa,” before discussing the team’s recent win in the Europa League.
The moment has sparked a new hope amongst royal fans that Harry’s mention of his brother could mean a reconciliation is on the cards.
The siblings have remained estranged ever since the Duke of Sussex shared multiple scathing comments about his relatives in his 2023 memoir Spare.
In the book, Harry dubbed his brother his “arch nemesis” and detailed a physical altercation where William allegedly grabbed him by the collar and knocked him to the floor, which saw him fall on and break a dog bowl.
The Duke of Sussex also mentioned Prince William’s wife, Catherine Middleton, claiming she made Meghan Markle, 44, cry before her and Harry’s 2018 wedding.
It is understood that the last time William and Harry spoke was at the funeral of their grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022.
While no plans for a reunion are publicly known, it was revealed this week that Prince William would be partaking in a charity event on Friday, overshadowing his brother’s Invictus Games celebration.
The Prince of Wales will be taking part in the Royal Charity Polo Cup at Guards Polo Club in Windsor that day to fundraise money for charities close to his and his wife, Catherine Middleton’s, hearts.
The annual event, now fifteen years in the running, is set to raise over £15 million (about $29 million), which will be split between 10 charitable organisations chosen by the couple.
Meanwhile, Harry will be in Birmingham to mark one year to go before the Invictus Games take place in the British city in 2027.
It was revealed on Friday that Meghan would travel to the UK with her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to join her husband, but will no longer attend any public events alongside the Prince.
After a week of mixed reports, it was revealed that the Duchess of Sussex will fly to the UK this week but has pulled out of the Invictus Games event in Birmingham.